Intro to Dragonology
''Introduction to Dragonology '''Now that you have a Dragon Egg, what do you do with it? It depends on what dragon is inside of it. Eggs come in different sizes depending on the breed.' Let us start with the various breeds by egg size. A) The smallest is the Personal Dragon Eggs. These eggs are leathery and about a foot long with the circumference of a foot. They weigh about five pounds. B)The next size would be The Ancient Ones. They are about a foot and a half long with a circumference of a foot. These are leathery as well. They weigh about five pounds. C) The Water Dragon eggs are spongy and porous since the dragon will need the water to survive. They will stay in an aquarium most of the time. The eggs will be more like a ball than an egg. The ball would be about a foot in circumference and weigh 10 pounds. D) The Land Dragons are hard shell eggs that are two and a half feet long with the circumference of two feet. They are more heavy than the other two, weighing in at 20-25 pounds. E) The Flying Dragons are hard shell eggs as well but they are larger due to the wings. The eggs are at least 3 feet long and the circumference is over 2 feet. The weigh in at 35 pounds. We will take each kind of dragon in turn in each section of this book. Taking care of the egg. While the baby is in the egg it will be considered an embryo. All of the eggs are taken care of the same way except that the water dragons will be in an aquarium instead of a nesting box. You will need to examine the egg about every 4 hours to make sure that it does not have a scratch in it. Scratches mean that the nesting material is too abrasive for the egg and could allow germs inside the egg which will harm the growing embryo. ' '''You will need to change the position of the egg so it would be wise to mark each side with either numbers or letters so that you will know where to lay the egg. The reason for this is to keep the embryo from sticking to the egg. ' '''While the embryo is forming, you may project images to the embryo. This will serve as a bond forming process and will increase the intelligence of the future dragonling. The Hatching Process Here is where the eggs differ from each other. The Personal Dragon Eggs and The Ancient Ones open their eggs by stretching their bodies until there is a hole and wriggling themselves out of the egg. Water Dragons tend to do the same type of a thing but they do have a egg tooth to help rip open the egg. The egg tooth is lost in a few days after hatching for dragonling will not need it any longer. The Land Dragons and Flying Dragons also have an egg tooth. It is a hard and very sharp. This tooth will be used to 'peck' at the egg until bit by bit the egg cracks open. Always keep the remains of the egg and use it to aid digestion of the dragonling. Sometimes the dragonling will have upset tummies because it is not used to the new food it receives after it is hatched. The Dragonling has hatched! The newly hatched dragonlings will be very hungry and might mistake your fingers for food so you must be very careful when feed your new baby. Like all babies they need to be fed often which is why they are allowed in classrooms when they are quite young. ''' '''All of the dragonlings must be fed ground food or minced food. Each type of dragonling will prefer to have certain diet. Carnivorous dragonlings will want ground meat while the herbivores will want plants. ''' '''As the dragonlings grow, their needs must be met so it wise to start oiling the ones with leathery skin, brushing the furry ones, rubbing the ones with scales with a soft cloth so that any kind of debris will be brushed off and keep the dragonling's body looking and feeling good. You will need to check their mouths for teeth coming in, becoming decayed, chipped or broken before the next set comes in. Teeth on a dragonling will emerge as they begin to be able to eat chunks of meat or able to tear the plants themselves. These teeth are considered their baby teeth. The dragonlings will be cranky and are easy to anger. Each dragon are now developing their own personalities and you can help them be what you wish them to be by encouraging some traits while discouraging and even ignoring other traits if possible. You must be patient and know not only what you want in your dragon but what your dragon can actually realistically do. Teen Dragons and their care Like all teens in all species of life, teens are unpredictable and can be dangerous even brought up by a responsible handler. This is the time of trying to be an adult and yet not knowing how to be one. By now the dragonling has learn much about life and how to do many things well enough to feel like they have mastered everything in life. These teen dragons are yet clumsy and inept in their skills. They are still growing and learning even if they do not realize it. ''' '''They can be demanding on the trainer and some even become lazy then refuse to do what the handler wishes them to do. There may be a power struggle between the teen dragon and handler. The handler must be more mature than the teen dragon. The teen dragon can attack and turn on the handler who must be strong enough, quick enough and more cunning than his or her dragon. The handle must be aware of the dragonling at all times and must have made a good bond made between him/herself and the teen dragon. He/She must have a strong bond of trust and able to read the teen dragon's mind accurately. The most important thing to remember is not to place blame on the teen dragon because the teen dragon might become resentful and even feel as if itself was not wanted. Always state how you feel and see in the dragon. Do not assume that you know what the teen dragon is feeling. Repeat what the teen dragon has said to you but in your own words. An example would be Teen Dragon: you never are here to help me Handler: so you feel like you are neglected? Teen Dragon: Yes you are always doing something else and never have time for me. Handler: What would you like to do? This type of open end conversation allows the teen dragon to open up and speak it's mind. A good handler will try to keep the dragon's needs and wants in mind. Try to at least include some time together for one on one every day. Daily exercise is required for all dragons and this is not an exception for the teen dragon. ''' '''The handler needs to once again be patient. Just remember that one day your dragon will be your life long partner. Some handlers will have two dragons so that they can entertain each other. That is a personal decision. There are times when it is time to say goodbye to your dragon. Sometimes a dragon can not be a good pet or life long partner. The time for releasing a dragon is during the teen years. Sometimes this is what the teen dragon needs to actually grow up to a mature adult dragon. Adult Dragons You have raised a dragon to adulthood. You must be congratulated on this success! You and your dragon will be very close friends for the rest of your life. Together the two of will enjoy each others company and times of being apart without hurt feelings. Lost Dragons 'Sometimes a dragon loses its partner and will look for another partner. Or perhaps a wild dragon will need a mate and desires your own dragon. This usually is during the teen years. This is one reason why a teen will rebel against the handler and will want to leave 'home'. It is thought to better to allow the teen dragon to leave than trying to control a resentful dragon. ' 'Perhaps another dragon will want to live with you out of curiosity. It might stay or not. It is thought that it would be best to accept it to the extent of your own ability and room. Usually a compromise can be made. '